Vesperia, Jotunheim, Winter's Wake, Isenmor—MATINEE

With the new year always come changes and challenges and for Ontario, Canada's Bolero, 2012 has already shaped up to be all about transformation and evolution. Out with the old and in with the new.
After several months of deep thinking and more than half a decade of live shows, line-up changes and the constant shake-ups in the music industry, the four musicians behind Bolero decided it was time for a big move – a change in name and mentality. Ladies, gentlemen and metal Vikings, we present to you, Vesperia.
"This new name for us means 'Of the land of the evening star' and the word 'Vesperia' was one of the proposed names for Canada before our country's name was decided upon," explained Morgan Rider of the chosen name's origins.
Continuing to derive influences from thrash, black metal and traditional folk music, Vesperia are not leaving their epic orchestrations, throat-crushing speed nor ear-piercing guitar riffs behind, rather, they're intensifying each element, adding more energy to their live shows just when fans thought they couldn't get any more amped up and prepping to release their debut album as Vesperia, entitled An Olden Tale.
In celebration of these momentous changes and of the upcoming release, Vesperia will be offering fans a free download of a brand new recording off The Swordsman every week for the upcoming month of May 2012.
Converting listeners and critics across the globe into believers and preachers of symphonic Celtic death metal since 2007, it's clear Vesperia has no plans of slowing down.